Area Committees Complete Nominee Rankings for 2026 Episcopal Elections

The Global Methodist Church held the first ever plenary gathering of annual conference representatives to finalize the episcopal areas for 2026-2032 on May 30. “We have, as a reform movement, restored the election of bishops to the General Conference, which is where it belongs,” said Rev. Chris Ritter, Chair of the Global Episcopacy Committee. “This meeting is designed to happen every six years so that we can take a fresh look at the configuration of our conferences and episcopal areas.” In the Global Methodist Church, bishops act as general superintendents of the entire church and are elected at General Conference. Approved at General Conference 2024, the election processes are intended to ensure that bishops are both effective global leaders and strong missional fits for the conferences they will most directly serve. Prior to the plenary gathering, annual conferences submitted lists ranking up to ten other conferences as their preferred choices for sharing a bishop. The Global Episcopacy Committee received 47 lists from the 51 conferences. Four conferences did not turn in ranked lists. Using these ranked preferences and a weighted matrix, the committee developed proposed episcopal areas–groups of conferences overseen by a bishop. The episcopal areas reflect the global nature of the denomination and are made up of annual conferences from different parts of the world. The bishops do not have jurisdiction over a specific area but instead lead in various countries. To this end, no one episcopal area has more than four conferences from the same continent. “Episcopal areas are established ahead of General Conference so that the Area Committees on Episcopacy can interview, evaluate, and rank episcopal candidates. This allows for the kind of thorough discernment and vetting often associated with an executive search process,” Ritter shared. Bishop Jones shared that the role of the bishop “calls for incredible travel, building relationships and keeping a focus on being a movement that is nimble and able to respond well in lots of different situations.” As directed in paragraph 604 of the “Book of Doctrines and Discipline,” this historic meeting brought together one laity and one clergy member from each annual conference. The group of representatives voted to approve eight episcopal areas across the globe. The meeting was held on KUDO, a web conferencing platform that allows for live translations and captions, enabling our global connection to collaborate in different languages, nations and time zones. Following the plenary gathering, the representatives met as area committees on episcopacy to begin their work to review episcopal nominees’ profiles, complete interviews and rank their top five preferred nominees ahead of General Conference. “I pray for each member of the area episcopacy committees,” Bishop Jones prayed over the group, “that they might do their work faithfully, and they might make the right choices for the people who can lead our church going forward.” View the approved episcopal areas at beautyofholiness2026.org .

With the nomination period now closed, the Global Methodist Church releases the official list of episcopal nominees for the 2026 General Conference. As of May 15, 2026, 24 individuals have accepted nomination, including five current active bishops and 19 additional nominees brought forward by Annual Conference delegations. This official list reflects the global nature of the Church, representing nominations submitted through the established process by delegates across the connection. Its release is intended to support a season of prayerful discernment for Area Committees on Episcopacy (ACE) and delegates, as we call on the entire Church to seek God’s wisdom throughout this process. The next step will take place during the ACE plenary session on May 30, 2026, when the proposed episcopal areas will be presented for consideration. As a plenary session of designated representatives, this is not a public meeting, but a focused working session for those formally assigned to this responsibility. As previously announced, eight full-time bishops will be elected and consecrated at General Conference 2026, taking place August 30 through September 5, 2026, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Those elected will serve six-year terms beginning November 5, 2026. Global Methodist bishops are traveling, apostolic leaders set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the church’s mission. They lead the temporal and spiritual life of the church, defend the faith, and deploy the clergy. According to the Book of Doctrines and Discipline, “Nominees for the episcopacy should have a strong record of effectiveness in leading the church in evangelism, discipleship, and mission.” We offer this information with gratitude for those who have said yes to being considered and with prayerful anticipation for how the Lord will guide the Church through this discernment process. OFFICIAL LIST OF NOMINEES: Bishop Leah Gregory Bishop Eduard Khegay Bishop Carolyn Moore Bishop John Pena Auta Bishop Mark Webb Andy Postell Brian Ebel Baziel Y. Yoila Danjuma Juji Forbes Matonga Gabriella Kopas Heather L. Sims Isaac Salgado Jerry Kulah Jonathan Lee Jordan McFall Lathem Postell Leo Tae Youl Park Luther Oconer Lyndol Loyd Paul Lawler Peter J. Bellini (Pete) Scott Pattison Tom Mabry To learn more about each nominee, including the Annual Conferences by which they were nominated and to read their bios, visit the Episcopal Nominee page on the General Conference website at beautyofholiness2026.org . This page will continue to be updated as additional materials are submitted and finalized. A Covenant of Unity Among Nominees In a spirit of humility, prayer, and shared commitment to the unity of the Church, the nominees have also collectively developed a covenant that is being shared with the General Church as part of this discernment process. Grounded in John 17:20–24, the covenant reflects a shared desire that the episcopal process would be marked by holiness, unity, integrity, and love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. The covenant serves as a reminder that this discernment process is not about personal advancement, but about faithfully seeking the Lord’s will for the future leadership of the Global Methodist Church. The full covenant can be viewed here . Updates and Honoring Bishops Following the release of the preliminary nominee list, several updates are worth noting. Bishop Kimba K. Evariste announced his decision not to seek re-election. Mbingeleli Diko of South Africa, who was included in the preliminary announcement, has since declined the nomination. Additionally, Peter J. Bellini (Pete) was added as a nominee from the West Plains Conference. Bishop Kimba K. Evariste will be honored for his faithful service alongside Bishops Scott Jones, Jeff Greenway, and Kenneth Levingston, who are also not seeking re-election. The Church looks forward to recognizing the impact and legacy of these leaders at General Conference 2026. A Season of Prayerful Discernment As the Global Methodist Church enters this important season of discernment, we invite our global connection to join in prayer for all nominees and for the work ahead. We trust that the Lord will faithfully guide this process as we seek leaders who will help carry forward the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ and spreading scriptural holiness across the globe.

There are five administrative committees that shepherd the work of the General Conference, where delegates have a say in how the conference functions. These are: Agenda (in what order will the business of the conference be dealt with), Credentials (who is credentialed as a delegate), Journal (approves the accuracy of the minutes of the conference and advises the secretary on compiling the new Book of Doctrines and Discipline ), Nominations (who is recommended to be elected to the general church commissions, councils, and committees), and Reference (what petitions are valid and what legislative committee should deal with each petition). These committees are made up of General Conference delegates nominated by their delegation, recommended by the General Conference Commission, and elected by the Connectional Council. The members elected by the Connectional Council are based on the following principles: · People who are well qualified to do the work · Representation from as many annual conferences as possible from the global church · Each committee being half clergy and half lay · Striving for gender balance The Book of Doctrines and Discipline requires that members of the administrative committees shall have also been delegates to the preceding General Conference in Costa Rica. This requirement prevented most of the European, Filipino, or Latin American annual conferences from nominating anyone for these committees because their current delegates were not delegates in 2024. Therefore, the committees are roughly half-African and half-U.S. in voting membership. (Legislation has been submitted to eliminate this requirement for future General Conferences.) Due to this requirement, conferences that were not part of the Global Methodist Church in 2024 would also be excluded. The Connectional Council voted to add two non-voting members to each committee except the Agenda Committee to provide representation from those conferences joining since 2024. The Connectional Council also voted to add a non-voting advisory team to assist the Nominations Committee in their work. The advisory team will consist of two GMC staff persons, two bishops, and two conference superintendents. The goal is to have more people in the room who know the nominees and can give guidance in forming the slate of recommended general church commission members. We received nominations from 18 of the 30 annual conferences present in Costa Rica. Some of the 12 who did not submit nominations were precluded by the above requirement. Others chose not to submit nominations. Of the 18 conferences that submitted nominations, 17 have members elected to a committee. We also received nominations from 9 of the 17 annual conferences not in Costa Rica. Eight of them have a non-voting member on one of the committees. In addition, 40 percent of the voting members are women. The Reference and Nominations Committees will begin working immediately, as most of their responsibilities are carried out well before the General Conference meets. The Agenda, Credentials, and Journal Committees will begin meeting in May, with the Journal Committee’s responsibilities continuing for several months after the General Conference adjourns in September. Please keep these committee members in prayer as they seek to facilitate the work of the General Conference. 

As of March 15, 2026, 28 individuals have been received as episcopal nominees by the Global Episcopacy Committee (GEC) of the Global Methodist Church. This list reflects nominees submitted by Annual Conference delegations by the preferred deadline. Additional nominees may continue to be submitted by Annual Conferences through May 15, 2026. In the spirit of transparency and to support the work of delegations, the Global Methodist Church is releasing this preliminary list to allow delegations to begin their work of prayerful discernment in advance of the Area Committees on Episcopacy (AEC) assignment plenary session scheduled for May 31, 2026. As previously announced, eight full-time bishops will be elected and consecrated at General Conference 2026, taking place August 30 through September 6, 2026, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Those elected will serve six-year terms beginning November 5, 2026. Global Methodist bishops are traveling, apostolic leaders set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the church’s mission. They lead the temporal and spiritual life of the church, defend the faith, and deploy the clergy. According to the Book of Doctrines and Discipline , “Nominees for the episcopacy should have a strong record of effectiveness in leading the church in evangelism, discipleship, and mission.” We offer this information with gratitude for those who have said yes to being considered and with prayerful anticipation for how the Lord will guide the Church through this discernment. Preliminary List of Episcopal Nominees Six of the current active bishops have offered themselves for re-election: Bishop Leah Gregory Bishop Eduard Khegay Bishop Kimba K. Evariste Bishop Carolyn Moore Bishop John Pena Auta Bishop Mark Webb In addition to those continuing in consideration, the following nominees have been put forward by Annual Conference delegations from across the connection to date:

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Read in French | Read in Korean | Read in Portuguese | Read in Spanish | Read in Swahili December 08, 2025 Dear General Conference Delegations, As chair of the Global Episcopacy Committee (GEC), I am pleased to formally call the 2026 plenary gathering of those selected by their delegations to serve on our future Area Committees on Episcopacy. The purpose of this gathering will be to approve the composition of our 2026–2032 episcopal areas, as directed by BDD ¶604.3. The plenary gathering will be held online on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time (UTC-5). The lay member and clergy member you select will meet with their counterparts from other GMC conferences around the world to consider a report from the GEC on the groupings of annual conferences that will share a bishop. Your GEC and the Assembly of Bishops will participate in the plenary gathering with voice but without vote. The exact number of episcopal areas will be announced in early 2026. The GEC’s proposal for the episcopal areas will be based on the data submitted by each delegation. It is our intention to publish our recommendations and rationale prior to the plenary gathering. Approval will require a simple majority vote. Once the map of episcopal areas is approved on May 30, each area committee will enter a virtual breakout room. Members of the GEC will facilitate the election of officers. Each area committee will then begin its work: identifying leadership needs and deciding which episcopal nominees to interview. A full profile of each nominee—including current bishops who are making themselves available for re-election—will be provided. Area Committees will also have access to confidential files made available by the GEC. Each area committee is asked to produce a ranked list of its top five choices by July 22, 2026 . These lists will be shared with the delegates of the General Conference. Nominees who appear on a ranked list may be invited to participate in video interviews. Once gathered in Johannesburg, delegates will elect a bishop to each specific episcopal area. Because this process will repeat every six years, there will be future opportunities to reconsider both the shape of episcopal areas and those who serve them. As you can see, the task entrusted to the Area Committees on Episcopacy is significant. A draft document further defining the responsibilities of these committees is available on the election page of The Beauty of Holiness website . Please keep in mind the following guidelines: A person nominated to be bishop is not eligible to serve on an area committee on episcopacy. While the persons you select must be members of your annual conference, they do not have to be members of your delegation. Please select persons who have reliable internet access and experience with online meetings. This is essential for both the plenary gathering and the candidate interviews. Translation services are being secured for the plenary gathering. However, the ability to communicate across languages will be helpful throughout the process. Those who do not speak the language used by their area committee may need to secure a personal translator or translation service. Those elected to your area committee should be prepared to participate in hours of interviews in June and July of 2026. The time commitment will be significant. Delegations are reminded to submit the following items by March 15, 2026: The names of one lay person and one clergy person selected to serve on your future area committee on episcopacy (please include their e-mail address, clergy/laity status, and languages they speak); A ranked list of ten annual conferences with whom your delegation believes it should be grouped in a shared episcopal area (rationale statements are welcome); Up to one episcopal nominee from your annual conference and up to one episcopal nominee from outside your conference. Thank you for your faithful work in building the Global Methodist Church and spreading scriptural holiness across the globe. Please join me in praying that the Holy Spirit will guide and bless the selection process for our first elected slate of full-time bishops. Grace & Peace, Rev. Dr. Chris Ritter Chairperson Global Episcopacy Committee globalepiscopacycomm@globalmethodist.org

General Conference Registration & Travel Update: Everything You Need to Know

In order to guide annual conferences in electing delegates to the 2026 General Conference, the General Conference Commission has released its projections of how many delegates each annual conference will have. The official number of delegates for each annual conference will be set in February 2026, based on the number of churches and pastors on January 1, 2026. Most delegates will be elected at annual conference meetings beginning in April, so it was necessary to provide preliminary guidance for how many delegates each conference should elect. Conferences will want to ensure they elect enough alternate and reserve delegates in case their official number increases a year from now. This preliminary allocation sets the number of delegates at 420, which is at the high end of the acceptable range established by the Connectional Council. The allocation is based on estimated church and pastor numbers submitted by each conference superintendent. The big story told by these numbers is the shift in the number of delegates between the U.S. and other parts of the global church, particularly Africa. In 2024, African delegates made up twelve percent of the delegates to Costa Rica. In 2026, African delegates may make up one-third of the delegation. This means the U.S. share may go down from 84 percent in 2024 to 61 percent in 2026, resulting in the loss of some delegates by some U.S. annual conferences. This shift is larger than originally anticipated, as eight more African annual conferences are in development than expected when the number of delegates was set at 380-420. In addition, the number of churches and pastors in the four Nigerian conferences is greater than expected, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (now split into six annual conferences) has also experienced unexpected growth. While Africa had only five annual conferences in 2024 at Costa Rica, they could have as many as 27 annual conferences represented in 2026. However, it is questionable whether all these annual conferences will be able to organize and have their convening conferences by the end of this year. The number of African annual conferences will probably be less than the 27, which will reduce the total number of delegates. Individual congregations throughout Africa will also need to go through the official registration process, which may further reduce their numbers. The same is true of Asia and Latin America, both of which are projected to add two annual conferences each. The General Conference Commission will recommend the final allocation of delegates to the Connectional Council based on actual official numbers, rather than estimates. That final allocation in February could see some delegate numbers shifting slightly up or down. The preliminary allocation of delegates is posted on the Global Methodist Church website here. As annual conferences elect delegates, alternates, and reserves for the 2026 General Conference, we can surround the process with prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit to guide the election of gifted leaders to help our denomination move forward in mission. We can also rejoice at the rapid growth of the Global Methodist Church in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. If all of the projected annual conferences come on line, the Global Methodist Church will be found in more than 27 different countries. We are becoming more global by the day! Reverend Thomas L. Lambrecht serves as the General Conference Secretary for the Global Methodist Church.